NFTB'S 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF SERVICE TO THE REFORM MOVEMENT

65th General Assembly December 1999 Orlando, Florida

NFTB'S 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF SERVICE TO THE REFORM MOVEMENT

BACKGROUNDIn January 1923, representatives of forty-one Brotherhoods of congregations affiliated with the UAHC met for the purpose of uniting and assisting all Brotherhoods of UAHC congregations. They established the National Federation of Temple Brotherhoods (NFTB), with Roger Williams Strauss as its first president, for the purpose of supporting and serving the brotherhoods of all the congregations of the UAHC. NFTB (now the North American Federation of Temple Brotherhoods) continues to fulfill the purposes envisioned by its founders for the last seventy-five years, and remains a valued affiliate of the UAHC since its founding.

THEREFORE, the Union of American Hebrew Congregations resolves to:

Commend the North American Federation of Temple Brotherhoods as a valued partner in its body of affiliated organizations;

Recognize the following special dimensions that a Brotherhood adds to a congregation:

For men of the congregation to meet in service to their congregation and their community;

For men of the congregation to join in the study of Judaism;

For men of the congregation to focus on and respond to the special needs of the congregation and its congregants, both young and old;

For men of the congregation to bond together and address issues that are of particular concern to men; and

For men of the congregation to develop and demonstrate leadership skills that benefit themselves, their congregation, and the UAHC.

Recognize the unique contributions of NFTB to the larger Jewish community:

To interfaith understanding: The Jewish Chautauqua Society (JCS), sponsored by NFTB since 1939, annually funds courses of Jewish study at more than 200 universities and seminaries, sponsors field trips for tens of thousands of inner city and rural secondary school students to visit Jewish museums, and donates books on Judaism to hundreds of schools each year. NFTB provides the primary funding for JCS and cochairs the UAHC Commission on Interreligious Affairs;

To support our college youth: NFTB established the College Youth Program of the UAHC through funding of SAMBATYON decades ago; Today, NFTB provides the primary funding for the UAHC's Reform on Campus Program; and

To support Reform Jewish men: The ACHIM Corps project of NFTB explores what it means to be a Reform Jewish male in today's world and addresses health issues that are unique to men from a Reform Jewish perspective.

Thank NFTB for its contributions to the Reform Movement and wish it continued success in its vital work.